I have a vivid memory of when I was a kid, going out one night with my dad. Slugs had been a big problem on his allotment patch, so we took our 'half moon' edging tools and spades and set to work on the little buggers. It was not a pretty sight, and many a slug met their end that fateful evening. Snails are just really slugs with shells on. They are a very valid part of the ecosystem, though. By saving snails you're probably preventing the demise of the planet through some improbable connection. Good work, Brian !